47 Follow the mist

Most teenagers disliked going to school and only did so because their parents told them to. Every holiday was a joy since it meant one day of not having to go to that dreaded place, so the concept of ‘punishing’ someone by making them not go to school, had always seemed rather bizarre.

For a troublemaker, being excluded essentially meant they got a free week to do whatever they wished. However, now that Gary was suddenly faced with that situation, he began to realise the real horror of it.

‘What the hell do I tell Mum?’

Their high school had a relatively good reputation in Slough. Getting suspended for a week was rather unheard of. In fact, any more than that and it would have meant expulsion.

Was this Mrs Young’s way of telling him how close he had come to being…expelled?